


The Stars of Fate

by Nidvaller



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alisaie is also baby, Alphinaud is baby and banned from any flirting crimes, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon Rewrite, Everyone lives AU... at a cost, F/F, F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Fluff and Angst, He's still fun to dunk on, Here be Gays and Bis, I have no self control, Many adults as the story goes on flirst with the WoL and probably each other, Multi, Tags May Change, Vampires demons monsters oh my!, WoL has all ARR jobs levelled at start, except Alphinaud, goth AU, polypile
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:56:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24761953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nidvaller/pseuds/Nidvaller
Summary: The world has changed. Even with the arrival of the Seventh Dawn, the light has felt dim, and the world darker, colder and crueler. While fate has ordained that the Warrior of Light continues to succeed, the Dragon Star quickens in its awakening, and a pale blood moon approaches, and with it, so do many denizens of the dark. Before Calamity strikes once more, she must work together with many others to solve the mysteries of the past, and of themselves.
Relationships: Haurchefant Greystone/Warrior of Light, Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)/Everyone
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. As Night Approaches

Another forsaken day set down on the horizon in Coerthas. As was this star’s wont, the sun’s warmth and respite from the horrors of the night came to an end, and for such an anointed hunter as Estinien, his hunt began anew. Nay, in the streets of Ishgard, and even beyond the Holy See, none were so poised such as he and precious few others as to hunt the blighters such as the Dravanians. It was not just that they were dragons that took the shape of men, oh no…

What made them so profane was that they could turn many into vampires. And unfortunately, Estinien was one such individual poised as a weapon for dragon and vampire both. Unfortunate to whom? None can say for sure. Was it those he crossed in his path to vengeance? Or was it his fallen family and village, some of whom had to be put down for forced conversion? The line between friend and foe blurred for him, and save for precious few, all were a threat to the dragoon.

Alas, that reverie can be given no more energy as he donned his attire for the evening. No Dravanians were sighted yet in this moon, so the less savory and much, much nastier aspect of his work has begun. Now, he had to find more evidence for the missing Lady Iceheart’s whereabouts, for where she walks, the accursed blighters followed the witch’s footsteps. Their mutual acquaintance was nowhere to be found, so it was not like they could rely on them to find a truce of yet. Not that it mattered. Not when Estinien wanted the most prolific of prizes displayed on his pike.

\-----

Ysayle sighed as she gazed out toward the snowy horizon that was her homeland. She remembered all those memories as a child, where she was an orphan to the snow, and left to fend for herself in this cold and unforgiving world. Her contact in Ishgard was late once more, and she rather not risk the ire of her pursuers. The Witch of Winter knew that time to seek refuge from the hunters, especially those of the Temple Knights and especially the dragoons, was running out. Where was Marcelloix? He was supposed to arrive by noon, sunset at the latest with delays. Did they hold him captive, along with his kin?

She cursed herself as she realized that his disappearance could be a trap. Vampirism, willing or not, was frowned upon by the Holy See, and those caught committing such a heretical act were to be executed. Not that it mattered that there was a distinct difference between the willing and the forced…

Her thoughts were interrupted as soon as she heard a cleared throat. As she turned, Marcelloix stood with his precious few belongings in tow. “Apologies. I had precious few opportunity to slip away.”

She frowned slightly as her brows knitted in frustration. “You realize that the more we stand here, the more likely we would need to run?”

“I’m aware.” Marcelloix’s eyes darted back to the city behind him, nervous in his holed shoes.

She caught notice of this and narrowed her eyes. “Your wife and child?”

“I can’t bring them with me yet. Not without risking their lives further, and make them lose everything. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if my little Noalle rejected the change because her father couldn’t process it. At least if I knew I could, she could be able to stomach it.”

“Fair enough. Not everyone in the city knows the truth about the Blood.” She stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “The blessing and curse, the sins and the truth, it all began with the Blood. One day, they will know about the truth of our ancestors, and they will know the truth of our nation, and perhaps… perhaps our world as well.”

Marcelloix nodded and straightened. “Check on my family, will you? While I am gone. I don’t want them to starve.”

Her gaze softened as she nodded. “Of course. I will make sure they are fed and warm, until they are certain about the change.”

\---------

Aymeric frowned into his tea as he read over the report on his desk. According to the astrologians of House Durendaire, the Dragon Star began to shine once more, to the same degree as it did the same night Estinien’s village burned. The troubling part was not that the Dragon Star was shining bright, but rather the Star was poised with Oschon’s erratic path in the sky, and directly opposed Halone’s path. According to the astrologians’ divination, more than just trouble was on the horizon, and the assured destruction of Ishgard was poised to occur. This was not good by any standards, but to have this combination of omens at once-

“You’re wasting that bleeding expensive syrup by not drinking it, Aymeric.”

Aymeric snapped up to see Estinien standing at the doorway with a thoroughly exasperated Handeloup scratching at his scalp in frustration. The dragoon was dressed in street leathers that were more meant for casual excursions, but the glean of holy steel and silver attached to his back and his hip told otherwise. The man was hunting tonight, and it seemed he will be prowling the backstreets of the Brume and of the Crozier. Not that it mattered, anyway. Not when he will still be sleepless with worry over his beloved friend.

“Ah, that worried over my own drink? I thought you hated sweets.”

“Sweets, I do like. That horrible piss you insist on calling ‘tea,’ I don’t.”

The lord commander snorted with a fond smirk. He placed down the cup and the papers before motioning for Estinien to sit down in front of him. The man scoffed and rolled his eyes in mock annoyance before taking a seat, arms crossed and a leg hooked over the other one. “So, why the visit?”

“Nidhogg’s eye has been waking, and the aura stored inside has been bleeding into mine. More than usual that is,” he said gruffly, reluctant to admit there was a beating taken from another who claimed the title of Azure Dragoon.

Aymeric took note of the reluctance, and decided to not push it further. Estinien was always very prickly when pushed. He raised his brows in acknowledgement while pursing lips, before releasing a loud, forceful exhale through his mouth. “I see. So the reports from the astrologians are coming to fruition.”

“Aye. It’s wiser I start sniffing whatever manner of beast I could, before the inquisitors get to them. If it means I can pierce my lance once and for all into the rutting wyrm’s heart, then time is of the essence. I need to start at moonrise.”

The lord commander sighed and glanced at the clock. Just passed six. Ample time to speak before moonrise, this time of year. “A little over an hour before then.”

He turned his gaze back to the silver haired elezen and nodded. “There’s more. House Fortemps has been collaborating with an adventurer, foreign to Ishgard, with investigations in the central highlands. They’ve been saying she fights like a fiend and has prowess in many forms of warcraft and magic…” He paused, before boring his gaze towards Estinien’s eyes. “Including the skills and abilities of a dragoon. Do you happen to know anything?”

There was a pregnant pause, and a silence that lingered longer than it should have, before Estinien answered. “No, I don’t.” He glared at Aymeric a good moment before softening his gaze. “I don’t suppose this woman has a name?”

He shook his head before half closing his eyes in thought. “Only that she is referred as the Warrior of Light, and she apparently has a knack of solving many a problem. I was planning on enlisting her help to hunt Lady Iceheart.”

“That elusive witch?” He grimaced and contorted his nose in disgust. “Do we really need to divert funds that much?”

“I’m afraid so. We’ve been losing too many temple knights in skirmishes with Dravanians and their followers. We have to hurry and find answers, before the Dragon Star glows too bright to.”

Estinien knew there was no arguing with him, so he sighed and sunk in his chair in resigned defeat. “And it’s not like we have many dragoons left, either.” He gazed into Aymeric’s eyes. “Very well. Do what you must.”

\-----

“Are you absolutely sure we should be coming here with you wearing that, Alphinaud?” a woman’s voice chidingly asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Your clothes. You’ll be shivering in the cold without even so much as a bloody fur coat.”

The young Sharlayan lordling scoffed in indignation. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve been practicing in shielding magics!”

“Sure you are…” she said as their chocobos arrived at Camp Dragonhead. They had received an urgent message from Haurchefant about sightings of heretics, and his men overwhelmed, along with large shipments of crystals missing. There was a suspect primal summoning, and he knew the Scions would come running to help at the mention of primals. Not like he wasn’t also a friend in need, she added internally.

When they entered through the doors, a smiling Haurchefant greeted them. “Friends! It’s so good to see you.”

“Good to see you too, Haurchefant,” the Warrior of Light greeted with a smile and hugged her very enthusiastic friend. She elbowed Alphinaud when he did no motion to return the greeting, causing him to exclaim from the force.

“Right, good to see you, too. Now you mentioned business to attend to?”

The elezen in question’s smile vanished before nodding solemnly. “Right, come this way. We’ll have some hot cocoa whipped up while we speak.”


	2. Meeting with a Unicorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Warrior of Light is oriented by her friend of the situation, but not without some flirtation and dunking on Alphinaud.

“...I see.”

A silence fell inside the chamber that served as Haurchefant’s office and place of operation, the fire nearby roaring and crackling with flame and light. The usual array of troops were led out in order to give a sense of privacy for the afternoon, and the silence that fell without them deafened the Warrior’s ears as even Alphinaud fell to silence, fiddling with the empty mug in his hands. Usually, matters of internal factions fell outside the Scions’ jurisdiction of primary purpose, but… A cult amassing crystals over a mythical figure is a prime suspect for a Primal Beast, and usually, such things are made with sacrifices of blood. 

She sighed and wrinkled her nose in distaste, pushing aside her own empty mug. Her eyes were fixed at the glistening beads of remaining chocolate that clung to the surface, and even with the warm contents sloshing in her belly, she felt chilled to the bone. “And this… Iceheart. Is she the one leading this group?”

Haurchefant pursed his lips as he nodded, resting his chin on his hands, weaved together by fingers as to act as a cradle for his head. “I’m afraid so. She’s a very adept mage in her own right, and some would call her the Witch of Winter. Rumor says she has perpetually blue lips from how much she internalized the cold into her being, and rumor says that her heart is so chilled to the bone, she only cares for the Dravanians and naught else.” 

Alphinaud shifted uncomfortably in his seat, crossing and recrossing his legs back and forth as he tried to find some way to give that nagging feeling ease. His fingers drummed against the edge of the table as the gears in his head started to whirr and whizz inside, creaking from the frost and rust at the conundrum. On one hand, the inner politics of nations, however so shortsighted and petty, are unworthy of any sort of attention. On the other, if the politics of said nation is involved with a Primal coming forth in a land already severely devastated by the calamity with perpetual snow, then the balance must be addressed. “We would need information over her whereabouts, along with assistance. If Ishgard is considering an alliance after being isolated from the rest of Eorzea for this long, the situation must be that grave.”

Powder blue eyes looked up from silvery lashes as he flicked his gaze back and forth, gauging the reaction from Haurchefant and the Warrior both. The elezen stiffened in his seat as sapphire eyes narrowed and bored, aquiline nose wrinkling as lips pressed to a tight line from posturing and frustration. She, on the other hand, tightened a fist for a moment before stretching her fingers and nodding, gazing up at Haurchefant with determination. “We’ll do it. A Primal is a Primal, no matter the origin or reason behind it. People are going to get killed, and the land will only get sick if we don’t stop the summoning.”

Haurchefant’s posture melted as he breathed a sigh of relief, lifting his head and gazed with obvious affection towards her. “You’re a blessing, friend. Truly. You can stay here for a few days while our scouts come back with the information. Lord Commander de Borel will come here regardless in the coming days, so it would be a good opportunity as any to speak with him about alliances and information.”

She smiled and nodded, content with the answer as Alphinaud gaped at her, flummoxed at her taking this moment to shine politically away from him “Wha- Ah.” He cleared his throat, embarrassed that his cool facade has broken. “Yes. Of course. We need to consult our contacts with the Scions as well, in the interim, so a place of privacy would be appreciated.”   
  
Haurchefant sighed and nodded, regarding Alphinaud a little with momentary annoyance. “Of course. We have a few unused chambers where you can congregate in the meantime. Although…” His gaze flicked towards the woman beside the boy as a corner of his mouth quirked upwards to a smirk. “My offer still stands.”   
  
She flushed hotly. “We can talk about that later, Haurchefant.”  _ Not in front of Alphinaud,  _ she mouthed.

He chuckled a bit and crossed his arms in satisfaction. “Of course. Your rooms will be prepared. In the meantime, feel free to explore the camp while they are. Dinner should be done soon.”   
  
She nodded and stiffly rose from her seat, her mind floating elsewhere as she tried to ignore the lustful gaze the elezen gave her and the calls Alphinaud made behind her as she not so subtly rushed towards the door.

\----

A knock came to the door of the Warrior’s chambers, causing her to lift her head from the book in her hands. She sighed and set the bookmark in between the pages before closing it, setting it aside on her table. “Come in.”   
  
Haurchefant opened the door to the room slowly, peeking his head through with a soft smile. “Hello there.”   
  
“Hey.” She lifted her hand and beckoned him inside with her fingers, shadows dancing in the candlelight.   
  


His smile grew wider as he came inside, his usual armor changed out for much more casual garb, but still rather fanciful and thick. His shirt was a charcoal grey embroidered with red unicorns in silk, and the jacket and pants he wore a leather trimmed with fur and lined with warm wool, all dyed dark. The boots he wore were loosely laced, as if he expected no such emergencies for the evening, and there were no cares nor worries aside from peacocking for the young woman before him. “Dinner is ready. You all set and freshened up?”   
  


She smiled softly and tilted her head to the floor, cheeks dusted pink. “About as much as one can be in winter. Let me have a moment to find a hair ribbon.”   
  
He nodded and leaned against the wall, the smile ever present. “Of course. I’ll wait for you.”

She nodded and began to search around her bag, the sounds of rustling and banging coupled with some of the odd scents that wafted from it with each movement. “Come on, it should be here somewhere…”   
  
Haurchefant giggled into his hand as he continued to wait. Not the first time she lost something in the dragon hoard that was her traveling sack and most certainly not the last. He often wondered what she kept in there, with how much noise and scent escaped from it, and wondered if some of it was just really old and forgotten in there. She barely ever seemed to have time to breathe with her work in the Scions, much less organise her stock. In fact, he did often wonder if she even had a home of her own at all, and if it was collecting dust as a storage room above all else.

“There’s the little imp!” she exclaimed triumphantly as she pulled out a royal blue ribbon from the very depths of the void that held her inventory. 

“Want me to tie it on, friend?”   
  
She blinked up at him, her mind taking a moment to process before nodding and offering it up to him. He giggled as he approached, taking it from her hand and positioning himself behind her. “Hold still for me please?”   
  
Her face was flushed already as she straightened in her seat, and Haurchefant went to work, weaving the ribbon to hold her hair in a loose bun, her neck exposed at last as fingers and ribbon both brushed and tickled her from behind. “There. Up and away, and nary a strand out of place.” His knuckles grazed her back of her neck slowly, along her spine, causing her to shiver and jolt in her seat with a squeak. “Haurchefant!”   
  


He laughed as he pulled away and stepped back, offering her his arm. “Well, shall we?”

She sighed fondly and took his arm, raising from her seat as her loose, powder blue dress trailed behind somewhat, as if reluctant to part from the wood. “We shall.”

\----

The dinner in itself was uneventful. While usual Ishgardian fare among the peasantry can be dull outside of feast days, the selection of food offered, while simple, was prepared well and flavorfully. Alphinaud continued to prattle on like he was the most important person in the room, while the Warrior and Haurchefant continued to take turns roasting the sixteen-year-old walnut over an open fire of banter. Much as it wounded his pride, his upturned nose extended even more heavensward with each haughty boast and strange flexing of his knowledge of the arcane, causing both of them to roll their eyes. Teenagers. 

With Alphinaud withdrawn to his chambers for the evening, barking some odd command that the Warrior be awake at dawn, Haurchefant and the Warrior herself took the time to stroll outside in the camp for the evening, if only to work away some of the weight of the day, and perhaps rattle out the excess prattle from Sharlyan lips. 

“You know, the stars here always shine brighter than most other parts in Eorzea,” she remarked, staring up at the sky. 

“Do they?”

She nodded, and pointed at the Bole. “See that constellation there? In Ul’dah, the sand tends to obscure the smaller stars, especially when a desert storm picks up. In Limsa, you’d need to be on a boat to chart the horizon best. Gridania… Well, the canopy sometimes shrouds it away, obscuring it from even the keenest of eyes. Brother E-Sumi mentioned once the Elementals tended to see them brighter than most, and grow the trees ever higher so they can sleep if they wished.”

Haurchefant hummed thoughtfully. “And do they?”   
  
She shrugged. “Never cared to find out, since they scare me bloody damn well on their own. Don’t need to imagine how angry when disturbed awake.”

He snorted, resting his torso against the wall that marked the difference between gazing the horizon and falling into injury. “Fearsome as any dragon, then.”

“Maybe. Although… Why is that star so bright?”   
  
He frowned and looked up to where her hand pointed. _Oh_. Oh no. 

“That… would be the Dragon Star.”   
  
“Is it usually this red?”   
  
He shook his head, leading her away quickly, back to the barracks from which they came. “I need to go talk to the Observatorium. Please, sleep easy tonight. The soldiers will take care of any incidents.”   
  
“But-”   
  


“Shhh. It’s alright. You need your strength tomorrow.”   
  
She sighed and pursed her lips in annoyance. “Oh, fine. Just promise me you’ll stay safe.”   
  
He smiled. “Of course. Hearty and hale as you see me now.”   
  
And as she went off to her chambers, to undress and allow sleep to claim her, she wondered if he truly could keep such a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to Ginger/Nightmist for being my beta for this chapter! Oddly enough, Haurchefant's horny was stupid easy for me to write. Maybe I was channeling my own lol
> 
> If you want to join the horny, get into more fic, or just want to screech to fellow lovers of fanfic, the Bookclub will welcome you with open arms here: https://discord.gg/NDz2a7N


	3. Seeing Eye to Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the strange astral phenomena, perhaps answers will be met in the morn.

The night was restless and fitful in sleep, even with the afforded luxuries provided by Haurchefant in Camp Dragonhead. Much as she wished, the Warrior was worried over what could possibly perturb her companion when gazing out in the night sky. At no point did he return back to his chambers during the night, and not even a creak of the door to suss out candle light or to run a hand through her hair, as she knew he did when she visited. He was thoroughly, utterly, and completely out of character at that moment, and it only led her to worry.

She could only sigh as birdsong announced the rising of the sun, and with it the confirmation that she did, in fact, not sleep at all. With a groan, she pulled herself out of bed and towards the washbasin in the room, splashing herself before dreading to look in the mirror. Goodness, the circles under her eyes looked bruised, but not much more than usual after having her nose in a tome. Yes… that is a passable lie. A night spent in one of the newer tomes she purchased before coming here is not unusual of a habit, and she still manages to be on her feet. 

With very little ceremony, she went and got dressed for the day, opting to wear clothes that were lightweight in terms of armor, but provided with a good amount of warmth. The day seemed a little chilly, even with the lack of snowfall last night, but she still did not wish to risk a cold, especially when Alphinaud still would not admit that he felt the cold nip at any bit of exposed skin. She would be a poor example of a field scholar to him if she did otherwise, and much as she was fond of the boy, he needed to be knocked a peg or two.

As she approached the meeting place they usually took to, in a room set aside for more private affairs, her gut wrenched with some sort of foreboding, as the wind chilled oddly and clung to exposed flesh like ash. Perhaps it was a trick of the mind, or perhaps it was just residue from the night before, what with how Haurchefant was eager to dash off over the star. No… That is preposterous. Superstition cannot be on the forefront of her mind. Curses and the like just happened to be magics and smart use of technologies of ages bygone, or by illnesses that are not yet understood by the chirugeons oAf this land. Absolutely preposterous to fret over a shining star.

But why did that ring hollow?

\-------

Alphinaud drummed his fingers with impatience as his plate of food sat uneaten, getting cold. It would be rude to not observe propriety and wait for the most useful person he knew, especially at the new and unexpected… guest. Not that he was opposed to finally getting some negotiations done with those of much higher power and flex his politicking, not really. He just found it annoying that someone who was such an asset was spending time loitering outside and probably licking a rock.

“Sorry for being late, Alphinaud,” called the woman in question. She sighed and hung up her cloak on the rack after closing the door behind her and cracked her neck, which produced very loud pops. She continued to stretch, not paying mind that there was another cloak on the rack, nor that there were a new pair of eyes following her movements as Alphinaud sighed in annoyance and Haurchefant watched on with amusement. As she sat down and looked at her plate, she saw a black gloved hand to the corner of her vision, and a flush crept up her cheeks and to her ears.

The man before her with black riding gloves smiled softly, mischief playing in his blue eyes framed with dark, sooty lashes and a mop of medium length black hair, with locks of the same beautiful black framing his face and very long ears. The suit he wore was armored with leathers and padded, so that in more formal discussions he could be protected, with the shirt underneath made of arachne silk dyed golden, and gold and silver embroidery lining the outer layers with details of filigree and the symbol of Ishgard’s order of temple knights, who are sworn to serve the goddess Halone and her people. The ascot and the jewel earring hanging from his left lobe were of a very vivid blue, which only made his eyes all the more sultry and intense.

“Hello,” he greeted as brows knitted in amusement.

“I, ah… Hello. I… I didn’t see you there,” the Warrior of Light stammered before clearing her throat. She shot a look to Alphinaud, as if to accuse the boy of making plans without her, which only caused him to upturn his nose in indignation. 

“Ah, my friend, I see you were up reading again,” Haurchefant interjected to cut the tension. The easy smile said nothing was amiss, but the look in his eyes twinkled knowingly that she did not sleep.

“You caught me. Studying aetherology instead of sleeping, like usual.”

“You really aught to take care of yourself more, my dear,” he said in mock reprimand, shaking his head before pointing a fork in her face full egg and eating it.

The man of sooty hair beside him snorted. “Sounds awfully familiar. Though… I have to say I haven’t caught your name.”

The Warrior of Light darted her eyes at him and considered him for a bit. Usually, those of power never really bothered to learn her name, and those who do often end up with shadows creeping far and deep into the cloisters and walls. Well, not like she gave anyone in this land her real name, not after coming so far to start off with a clean slate of her old life. 

“You may call me Lilith, my lord.”

“Aymeric. Aymeric de Borel. No need to call me lord,” he remarked and took a bit of apple tart to his lips. 

“Knight Commander of the Temple Knights, in the flesh. I suppose you have proper business to attend to with us?”

The man in question nodded. “I do. But first, I should properly introduce someone into the conversation.”

A groan could be heard through the door that led outside.

“Oh, quit your sulking and come.”

The door opened wide as a man with wild and long silver hair came into the room, and was promptly slammed shut. The hat he wore obscured much of his eyes, and the scarf and high collared coat hid most other landmarks that would make him more known. The leathers that clung tight to his torso did well to not just arm him with protection, but made his waist all the more cinched and cat-like. The boots he wore clung firmly around his legs up to the thigh, and was armored with dark blue scalemail that seemed to gleam red like blood. And the way he was armed to the teeth, from daggers, whips, and even a menacing lance behind him told the story that not only did he not trust them, but was more than capable of slaughtering them all right in that instant if he had to.

Haurchefant frowned and pointed at the weapons rack. “Coat, hat and weapons at the door. I would be a poor host if my other guests were here unarmed and exposed while you are not.”

The man made a noise that was a cross of a snort and growl of bemusement, and went to strip off as much of the bare minimum as possible.   
  
“And the scarf. And the hat…”   
  
“Oh you swiving…” he growled under his breath while doing just as much, and as he finally turned to the table once more, Lilith had her eyes narrowed and a scowl on her lips. “You again!”

The man scoffed and rolled his eyes as he went to sit next to Aymeric, his strut a haughty swagger. “I’m not going to fight you. Besides, you rather firmly trounced my arse last time, and I rather save myself the embarrassment.”

Alphinaud and Aymeric shared a look of confusion, as neither one were privy to this event. The adolescent then turned to Lilith and inclined his head in incredulous bewilderment. “What do you mean ‘again?’ You know him?”   
  
Lilith snorted and began to tear at her bacon. “How can I  _ not _ know the Azure Dragoon after having to chase him round at the behest of his father and mentor?”

“Oi, leave him out of it.”   
  
“When you admit to our friends here that you almost also got possessed by that blighted eye you carry round.”

Aymeric narrowed his eyes and turned to Estinien, glaring at him. “What eye?”   
  
Estinien huffed and took out the eye of Nidhogg he was carrying around. “I had a mind to take him down before he woke, but it seems the time of preemptive strikes is over, with no one the wiser.” Lilith sighed as the familiar dark red aura crackled with life, as if the creature it belonged to was not just aware of the situation, but was hideously angered at what is being discussed. 

Alphinaud curled his lip in disgust at the dismembered eye. “Put it away! You’re spoiling our appetites here.”   
  
“Alphy, I think the only appetite is being spoiled right now is yours.”   
  
“Regardless, we don’t know what capacity that thing is aware of, and it’s a  _ bad _ idea to have it round.”   
  
Estinien rolled his eyes once more and silently put it away. “Happy?”   
  
The boy nodded, satisfied. “Now that we got all the sidetracks out of the way, let us proceed to the meat of the conversation.”   
  
Aymeric sighed and nodded as he pinched his brow, before taking a sip of his tea. “Very well. I’m sure you’ve noticed that in addition to Lady Iceheart’s machinations, there has been tension that suddenly grew as of late. The reason behind it is the Dragon Star is very much aware and awake, and we are at the cusp of having the Horde come and raid Ishgard.”   
  
Alphinaud frowned. “Is this part of why you closed the gates to the Holy See?”   
  
The commander’s expression was grave as his voice lowered. “Among other things. We had some civil unrest and many a change of hands in one sitting, so rather than having no heads to lead any sort of charge beyond our war with the Dravanians, we closed the gates instead.”   
  
The adolescent Scion frowned in thought, finger crooked to his chin as he processed the information. “So if we helped you deal with the Horde…”   
  
“You can have our sword in the Alliance, since it will free up many a resource, in addition to assure none of our problems spread out to the rest of Eorzea.”   
  
Alphinaud could only sigh and lay his hand on the table after a while. “Very well. We shall offer assistance to this threat as well, as a united Eorzea can fight off the Garlean threat better than divided.”   
  
Aymeric nodded as his lips tugged to a smile. “Very well. We are in agreement. Birch syrup for your tea?”   
  
Haurchefant peeked up. “Oh, yes please!” 

Lilith could only laugh at the new exchanges, curdmongenous company or no.

\--------

Ysayle sighed as the crystals were all brought into Ahk Afah. The preparations for the ceremony were nearly complete, and soon the world would know the strength of their vindication. She knew the visions were true, much as she knew this crystal in her hand was something of the divine. Hear. Feel. Think. Those were the words that echoed in her head like a drum. The rhythm synched with her heartbeat, along with the droning of the falling snow. 

How long has she lived in this wailing winter wonderland that was her heart, knowing the painful truth about the war between man and dragon? How long until her tasks were fulfilled and she could be at peace with her beloved? To be with him as his bride reborn? Well, not like time will matter much once it is all done and she can be with him once more. It will freeze, much like the landscape before her. Much like her fingers and lips as a child left out in the snow. None of those harsh memories will matter soon…

“Lady Iceheart?”   
  
“Yes?”   
  


“We have taken Marcelloix to one of our patrons with success.”   
  
“Has he been able to begin the change?”   
  
“Yes, my Lady. Our prospects for him seem to be that his body will accept the changes, rather than being consumed.”   
  
“Good. Let us pray those prospects remain true.”   
  
“Yes, my Lady. Anything you require of me?”   
  
“No. Leave me here with my thoughts.”   
  
“...Yes, my Lady.”   
  
The footsteps behind here grew silent and still, and Ysayle closed her eyes and took the crystal close to her chest. She muttered a prayer as the aether around her grew distorted, cold and very bright. Eventually, she opened her eyes, revealing that she was filled to the brim with aether as her communion with Shiva began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to Ginger/Nightmist for being my beta.
> 
> I'm starting uni again soon, so I may be a little slower because of the bulk of work. Hopefully, with this meatier chapter, I can slake your hungers for a bit. I am trying to up my word count with each chapter, so hopefully you all can get more meat as I keep writing. Thank you for your patience!


	4. Intonations of Ice and Snow

Three weeks later…

  
  
  
  


Lilith bounded through the cold caverns of Snowcloak, tearing through the Coerthan wildlife with sword and spell. Though she knew that others would be very  _ livid _ that she tore in here alone and through the aetheryte against Moenbryda’s warnings, she could not care. Not after tearing through all the precautions they had at securing the crystals, and not when they were so close to summoning a primal. She could taste the power being manifested, and the deeper she delved inside this passageway, the more powerful the urge to surrender to something primal within her breast stirs. 

“Out of the way!” She cried as she started to tear through a heretic, axe in hand, then quickly swapping to a bow and arrow to shoot down an aevis. Twelve, there were many here, all to protect the summoners. Part of her now regretted not bringing a single Crystal Brave with her, but part of her was relieved they were not there to steal the rush of battle from her. No… None of them will steal the hunt from her. This was hers. 

Another heretic drank from a phial, eyes flaring to life as the aether fully fueled the transformation into another two legged wyrm. What was this? Haurchefant mentioned heretics, but never the whole transforming into dragons part. Not that she can ask him right now, in the heat of battle, and certainly not when dodging ice breath. She yelped as she narrowly dodged gnashing teeth. With a deep breath, she willed a spear into her hand, and thrusted it into the aevis’ heart, causing a screech to ring in its final throes. Lilith panted as the body fell, the insistence to fight her creasing her brow into a frown. These people sure were adamant on protecting a damned primal…

She leaned down and picked up an elaborate key that looked like a finger attached to stylized dragon wings and looked up at the gate.  _ Strange choice of design _ , she thought to herself. Not that it mattered, as she took a deep breath and slipped the key into the slot of the clasp. Her hand turned the metal in its grasp and with a firm shove, she opened it. On the other side, a sleeping and very large direwolf awaited her, and with the creak of the hinges, cracked open its eyes. Shit.

She gripped her spear tighter and tapped onto some of the jewels attached to it, willing a protective barrier onto herself, before dodging out of a sweeping paw from the wolf. Icicles rained down above her as chilling ice magic kept being bombarded in her direction, every step closer to being frozen than the last.  _ Find an opening, _ her mind commanded, seeing for a moment where she could lunge between the seconds of life and death. She will not be prey today.

At last, she found it. “Aero!” With a very precise leap, she channelled the ambient wind into the strike, and pierced her lance through the spine and into the heart of the creature, causing it to howl in pain. Its legs gave out from the sheer force of the attack, causing Lilith to grip tight to her lance and hold on, shifting her weight so as to not be crushed under the beast. With a loud grunt she fell to the floor, the beast limp and lifeless next to her. Not the worst hunt she ever completed, but nonetheless messy. After picking herself back up, she pried her lance from the beast, its flesh still warm despite the bone chilling cold in this chamber. Maybe she should skin the beast…  _ No, _ she shook her head.  _ Not enough time, not with a primal on the line. _ With a huff, she turned her heel running like she was climbing through a crystalline tower similar to one she explored earlier. 

\---

Ysayle rose to her feet as she felt thunderous footsteps enter the amphitheater behind her. She sighed and rolled her eyes in annoyance, and turned her form to face whoever came into the sanctuary, her blue robes flowing around her. “So, you must be the one who tore through my brethren.”

“The very same,” Lilith confirmed, spear and shield in her hands. “Have to admit, they gave it their all to make sure I wouldn’t come. Primal’s a primal, though.” She shrugged nonchalantly and tilted her head so that her chin pointed at the elezen woman before her. “Someone has to stop the summonings.” 

Ysayle sighed. “Heed me well, Warrior of Light. You interfere in a war not your own, without knowing not even a fragment of the truth. Do you really think that the bloodshed you wage with your path is truly what you believe in?”   
  
Lilith shrugged once more before taking a more offensive stance, blowing a stray hair out of her face. “It doesn’t matter what I believe in, not when I’m paid to defeat primals on the daily, to fight for causes not mine. Besides, I was asked to consider helping by a friend, and I trust him enough to be straight with me.”   
  
The elezen woman shook her head, knowing full well that her words alone will not get through to her. “A brute who lives by the sword.” She lowered her head, attuning to the aether around her and pulled with her soul at the power of all the crystals in the amphitheater, eyes closed. “Then if such a brute lives by the sword, then it stands to reason that she would also  _ speak _ and die by the sword. So come, O Weapon of Light.”

She took position and intoned in song her prayer, causing the crystalline aether to surround her in bands of icy mass, her voice resonating and amplifying towards the heavens.  _ “O Saint Shiva, hark unto my prayer carried by song. Fill our hearts and souls with your eternal grace, so that the chant of Light is spurred on. Grant me the strength to see unto my cause, and let those who stand in my path be cast asunder!” _

The frigid aether launched itself and turned her into a spiralling cocoon of ice and light, encasing her with the armor needed to withstand the blows currently assailing her by the Warrior of Light, her spear rioting against the thick ice. Eventually, with harsh force Lilith was ricocheted backwards from the cocoon breaking, revealing the woman before her now wearing the skin of a frigid eikon. Shit.  _ Shit. _

Whatever could be visibly seen of the eikon’s eyes was icy blue aether domineering down at Lilith, who only barely stood her ground against the force of being knocked back. Whatever was Iceheart’s long hair was meshed in with a crown made of ice and braids that moved in tandem with the beating aether around her, and the skin tight cloth that binded across her body looked thick and tough like armor, if only because thick ice like pieces of robe and armor also covered her body. Lilith could only curse the Twelve as she dodged several arrows of ice in rapid fire, knowing that each misstep would only bring her closer to danger. She jumped, and used the momentum to change out her spear with a sword and shield and used the force of gravity to strike. Shiva noticed the attack and switched from a bow to mirror Lilith and exchanged blows, back and forth, the duel creating bursts of wind and sound between the two that pushed away the snow around them further and further.

Lilith jumped backward and swapped away the weapons and summoned a staff, summoning forth fire to immolate the primal. Her opponent lifted up a wall of ice to deflect each ball of flame, only to look up and see above her a large one ready to explode.   
  
“Flare!” Lilith crowed and forced the ball of energy to explode on impact with the primal.

It took moments, agonizingly slow moments, to see if it did the trick, but when the steam and snow finally dissipated, Shiva still stood, even through the broken armor. The eikon glared at Lilith and sent a wave of ice and snow to freeze the amphitheater. She rose and walked, skipped and danced in the air, concentrating the aether around her and forced the ground to freeze, Lilith at the center of it, as her prayer turned evocation and once finished, stepped on her head to release the force of it.

Lilith was knocked back, hair undone and lips blue, and all she could feel was the gnawing hunger and a voice inside waiting,  _ crying _ to be released and as her body started to move on its own, whether out of sheer spite or a sense of duty, all she could hear was demented, distorted laughter that echoed on from deep within her own chest as her vision grew dark.

Shiva threw spears of ice at her that were immediately deflected by a barrier of impenetrable darkness, bouncing off the Warrior of Light as just as suddenly she could feel a powerful intonation of song verberating from her opponent’s chest, bloodlust clear in her eyes as she drew an axe and manically swung at the eikon.

The battle waged anew in fervor, as Shiva severely underestimated the sudden second wind inside the other woman. Back and forth, to and fro, the exchange of blows whittled away at all their strengths and armor, one fueled by conviction of their cause. The other was possessed by something darker than mere duty or anger, like a caged beast waiting to be at last released. Both were fueled by two different kinds of primal power, but which would win? The seconds stretched into minutes, minutes into hours upon the battlefield as one last clash between the chosen of Hydaelyn came into climax. The resulting force created a sonic force that blew them both backwards, ears ringing and while Lilith and Ysayle were on their knees, panting desperately for air and strength, both of their robes and armor shredded and torn apart. The abyss in Lilith’s eyes seemed to have calmed, and the eikon encasing the elezen woman dispersed.

“Heed me, Warrior of Light. You are being used in a war you have yet to comprehend. You are being used, just like  _ all _ of us were. Please, consider your path ahead, and beware. Beware of the malice that walks your path, beware all those who use you as a weapon. From one sinner to another, consider the path ahead.”   
  
With the last of her strength, she willed herself to be drawn away to some distant aetheryte, leaving Lilith alone in the arena.

\---

It was a while before one of the knights found Lilith’s crumpled body near the aetheryte back in Camp Dragonhead, her garments tattered and worn, and her exposed skin battered and bruised, with lips and fingernails blue. Days passed before she woke, and by the end of the week, her eyelids fluttered open to a worried Alphinaud looming over her intently.

“Thank the Twelve you’re awake,” the boy breathed out. “We were worried sick. What were you thinking, going off on your own like that?”   
  
“Faster,” she muttered.   
  
Alphinaud shook his head, wanting to admonish but thought better of it. “At the very least you made it out alive. I trust the primal is no more?”   
  
She nodded, and pulled herself to sit up a little, wincing how bruised her ribcage felt. “The primal was taken care of, but Iceheart is quite the fighter. It took my all to stand against her.”   
  
“Did she fight alongside the primal, you mean?”   
  
It took her a moment before she looked at Alphinaud. “Alphy…  _ She _ was the primal. Iceheart used herself as a vessel for Shiva and I took a bloody beating for my trouble.”   
  
His eyes widened at that admission, his hands slack in his lap. “And she wasn’t tempered?”   
  
Lilith shook her head, before finally pulling out her crystal of light, her token as a servant of Hydaelyn. “She’s like me.”   
  
Alphinaud was quiet a while, frowning at the implications. Could someone..? No, he perished the thought. Such a thing would turn everything they know upside their head. Even more, it would mean that the Ascians might be threading into Ishgardian politics under their noses. Until he knew more, he had to keep his theories to himself. Too much was on the line already in their shaky strides in acquiring this liaison and alliance with Ishgard, and they had to tread carefully.

The boy rose to his feet, and gave her a smile. “You rest. I’ll go tell Haurchefant what you told me, and I’ll get you food and tea.”   
  
He did not wait for Lilith’s reply as he strided out the door, worry creasing his young face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that ADHD feel where you end up doing everything but a task to procrastinate on something? Yeah, this chapter is the result of me procrastinating on midterms. So uh. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again Ginger/Nightmist for being my beta. Pls don't yell at me about procrastinating... >.>;

**Author's Note:**

> This fic wouldn't have happened without the wonderful people at the Bookclub encouraging me and adding critique to my self indulgent writing. How often will I update this? Who knows, but let's hope that my brain and spoons say often.
> 
> Thank you to Ginger for being my beta this chapter, and I hope the rest of you enjoy.
> 
> If you want to interact with other members of the Bookclub to talk about fics you love, you can join us here: https://discord.gg/NDz2a7N


End file.
